Treatment of ramie and other similar substances.



UNITED STATES PATENT oFrroE;

LOUIS HENRY RAW, OF EAST MOSELEY,

no ROBERT SUMNER, or FARNCOMBE, EN LAND ASSIGNORS To ROBERT GORDON-ORB,OF LONDON, ENGLAND;

'rann'rimn'r or 1mm AKDD'rmtapnhLAn snnsrn'ncns.

no. 91 6;21e.

Specification of Lettersjl'atent.

Patented March 16, 1909. 4

. r Application filed November 4, 1007. Serial No. 400,708.

ment of Ramie and other Simi ar'Substa'n'ees,

of which the following is aspecification.

This'invention relatesto a process for the treatment of 'ramie or othersimilar fibrous substances 1n the raw condition and has for its objectto produce a fiber of such physical" character as to be. capable ofbeing used in product of such treatment.-

substitution of or in combination with cotton, wool,'silk, hair or otherfibers in the production of woven fabrics.

The invention relates to aprocess'of treat ing fibers; and particularlyramie fiber on the cane or in the condition'of brown ribbon orchina-grass, whereby its physical character is altered with the effectof rendering the fibermore flexible andfine, and so as'to have thequality of felting, and the invention comprises the intermediate andfinal According" to the invention we raw material in earth which is dryor has merely its normal content of moisture for a number of daysdepending upon the general conditionof'the raw material used and thedescription of product required .and after such treatm entwe find thatthe'ribbon or grass-is altered in character so that the'fiber resultinafter passing through the breaker and car ing engine is more flexibleand finer and is of such a character as to'felt and ro-' duces a sliverand thread similar to woo .tion of product required a What we-glaim asour ln'vention and desire laying- V the lay the- "In carrying theinvention into effect-in the treatment of ramiegfiher we prefer to laythe canefbrown ribbonor china grass within a trench of say about'twelveinches deep and of any convenient width in single layers,.

and we cover each of the layers with say v three, four or five inchesofearth, that is to say with-such a quantity of'earth as comk yers oframie so that the earth maybe in filete'ly to cover the layer or.respective close contact with the fiher, and weallow I the cane, brownribbon or ifchina grass to remain in the ground forfrom say five to s xdays by which tinie the process ofpre aration is completed and theproduct;hft is process is then treated inthe usual way to produce asliver and "threadl '-It,';. -will ;how-

ever he understood that the eriod of treatment is varied according to te general eon- V dition of the raw material and thedeecrip to secure byLetters Patent is I. .A process of treatment of 'ramie, or other similarfibrous. substance I fibersin thin vla eIsFI-fi'earth so that all thefibers are comp etely covered in close and complete contact with earth.

2.- Aaprocess bf treatment of ramie or other similarfibrous substanceconsistingiin la 'ng thefiber thin layers mew-h so t a thefibers'iecgjmpIeteIy covered in close and"completq ,contaet with earthand break-: in and carding the fiberso treated' ii testimony whereof wehave hereunto signed ear names to this specificationin the presence'oftwo subscrihizrg witnesses.

- LOUIS HENRY RAW. SUMNER. Witnesses: i W W.-E. Em ts;

J. WyYOUi),

cdj zisisting in

